


Five Ws

by obscureanarchy



Category: Naruto
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 20:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4033060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obscureanarchy/pseuds/obscureanarchy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who, what, where, when, why.  Five short stories centric on the Five Ws.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Who

**_  
_**

 

_" **Who** are you...  are you even my real mom?!"_

The words stung.  Sakura's hand clenched instinctively, remembering how much she wanted to strike her daughter across the face, buttocks-- whatever part of her body she could reach before she squirmed away.  Looking up at the ceiling, Sakura sighed and let her arm lay over her eyes.  Slowly, she turned her head to the left, peeking under her arm.  He was laying beside her futon, yet was in one of his own.   _It's better than the couch_ , she thought to herself.  Sasuke often opted for the sofa downstairs rather than share a bed with her.  " _I'm used to sleeping alone," he says.  What a load of crap._ Sakura turned her head back to hide her eyes.  

The tears stung too.

The more she fought them from falling, the harder she struggled not to gasp, so she decided to let go.   _Pitiful.  Wasn't it rule twenty-five?  A shinobi should never show their tears?_

Sakura sat up and wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her yukata, then crept quietly out of the room.  She did it with ease, as she was used to sneaking out of the bedroom on the few nights Sasuke would sleep there or when Sarada would stay with her in order to get fresh air and think.  Making her way to the small balcony, Sakura paused as she began to pass Sarada's room.  She peeked in to check on her, as she always did, and was comforted at the sight of a small chest under the thin sheets moving up and down.

She glanced around the room-- the walls were a pretty light pink colour with white cherry blossoms stenciled in a line near the crown molding.  She remembered painting the room all on her own while in her early stages of pregnancy, all on her own.  Kakashi and Naruto chided her for that, said she should have waited for help and to not strain herself with arduous tasks now that she was expecting.  She smiled, remembering how long it took her, waddling around with her belly in front of her and wearing a filthy, paint-covered apron.  Aprons.  Her mother had bought her a few as a gift for the baby shower.  "Every good mother has to have a clean apron!"  Mebuki said proudly when she presented her gift.  Sakura thought it was silly at first, but soon came to see the aprons as a symbol of motherhood; all the times Sarada burped and spit up on the front of one, or when she attempted to cook and got covered in ingredients, or when she was rushing to get to work and forgot to take it off after making breakfast-- putting one on became part of her motherly routine.  

_" **Who** are you... are you even my real mom?!"_

She bit her lip hard, hoping the quick pain would distract her from crying again, and closed the door quietly.  Sliding the balcony door, the cool air rushed to greet her wet face.

"How could she say something like that," Sakura mused aloud, "to me... me!  Of all people..."  _But then again, **who** else would she say that to? _

"To think... she went so far as to track down her father like that... and with Naruto there to hear it too!  How embarrassing..."

Naruto had pulled her aside when they had returned to the village.  He asked her if everything was alright at home, if she and Sarada argued frequently.  She scolded him, told him he should worry more about his own children and his neglect of them before he meddled in her own family affairs.  He got quiet, then he got angry.  He reminded her **who** she was speaking to, to not take liberties with him just because they were teammates once.  He spoke about how Boruto understood why he never spent too much time with him, but still wanted to be a bit selfish.  Said that Sarada didn't understand why Sasuke was never home and why Sakura was never honest with her about things, and wanted to know the truth, even if it seemed selfish or rude of her.  The conversation was terse, but they both regretted their tones.

" _You're married to him and you "don't remember" if he wore glasses?!  Are you guys really married?"_

Sakura let her head hang.  The question was one she asked herself some days, so she could not yell at her daughter for that one. 

Marriage.  In reality, Sakura and Sasuke had never officially married.  There was nothing on paper, no documentation, nothing.  A marriage in name alone.  She was satisfied with it, at first.  Then worried.   _Was it really enough?  To just call myself "Sakura Uchiha?"_ It was not.  She opted for signing official documents with "Haruno Sakura" instead, and only called herself that when she was alone or with Sarada.  Ino says it to cheer her up, Naruto doesn't say it at all, and the others say it out of respect.  But could she call herself one? _  
_

The night she asked him what she meant to him, he was quiet.  Finally, he had said, "Everything."  His light, his darkness, his weakness, his strength, his friend, teammate... his family, the person he could come home to.  When he had returned after his initial departure, it had been two years in and he had only come to visit and report in about his findings.  She greeted him at the gate and happily said, "Welcome home!"  He smiled back softly, and for a second, Sakura thought his ears and cheeks had reddened a bit.  "I'm home," he said.   _Home_.   _An elaborate farce._ Sakura sighed.  It felt like she was playing house sometimes, sweeping and cleaning, straightening books on the shelves tirelessly, making sure the fridge was stocked weekly with things he liked in case he came home.  She remembered their first real date.   _Our only real date, really._ The other "dates" were spent quietly enjoying each other's company and sometimes a trip to the library.  The date was on a night of cherry blossom viewing; they spent it having a late night picnic down by the pond in the park.  The setting was romantic and sweet, and he looked at her tenderly that night.  All night.   _Sarada probably was conceived that night._ The next morning, he announced that he would be leaving in a week, this time for a truly indefinite period of time.

He had returned when Sarada was born; he stayed with Sakura for four months after the pregnancy before leaving again, visited briefly when Sarada was two, then he was never seen again.  _Until now._

She sighed heavily.  "No wonder she's so mad..."  If it bothered Sakura, it definitely would bother Sarada just the same.  A cold shiver ran down her spine and she decided it would not help her feel better if she stayed out in the chilly, summer night air and got herself sick, being all wet-faced and runny-nosed, so Sakura went back inside.  When she turned, however, she did not expect to see Sasuke on the other side of the glass, staring blankly at her.

She gasped loudly, then shut her mouth tight, then "smiled," if you call a "god, you almost scared me shitless and now I have to play it off like I wasn't crying about 0.004 seconds ago and grin like an idiot" look a smile.  Sasuke just made that gesture for her to come closer.  She put her hand on the handle but the door resisted.   _Locked?  
  
_ She mouthed the word "closed" to him, but he shook his head and made the same gesture.  She sighed and came close to the glass.   _Plink._ Sakura blinked, confused.  When she looked, she nearly went cross-eyed staring at the fingers up against the glass where her forehead would be.

She'd have to wipe the glass down in the morning.  She pressed her cheek to the glass and let out a heavy sob.

The lock clicked and the door slid, but Sakura made no effort to stand firm.  She let herself tumble through the doorway, but Sasuke caught her quickly and soundlessly.

"Idiot... you shouldn't cry so much..."

* * *

 

The morning routine went as such: Sarada would get up first and put together the ingredients for the day's breakfast, Sakura would get up after, run a bath for Sarada and give herself a quick shower, put on her houseclothes and apron and head downstairs to help Sarada prepare and put on a kettle, and Sasuke would usually rise last and do some calisthenic exercises, then go to the kitchen and set the table while the women cooked.  They did the routine without words this morning, and moved slower than usual.

"... You're doing that wrong."  Sarada mumbled to Sakura under her breath.  Sakura looked up and let her hands fall, the knife and apple she was cutting falling with them.

"You do it then.  I'll chop the pecans."  "Fine." "Fine."

Sasuke glanced up from the table at the pair and sighed.

"Is this the way you want them chopped?"  "..."  "... Sarada?"  "... Do you really have to ask me that?  Shouldn't you know how things should be chopped?" "Well I thought I did, but apparently I was doing it wrong--"  "You were!  You have to slice them thinly, but you where butchering the apple!" "I know how to cut an apple!  It doesn't have to be thin!"  "Well, it doesn't have to be thick-cut either!  I told you how I wanted it cut, but you never listen to me!"  "I never listen?!  You never listen!"

The sound of hands slamming on the kitchen table caught them off guard.

"ENOUGH.  Sakura, Sarada-- sit down.  I'll finish breakfast."

"B-But..."

"Sit.  Now."

It was a weird sight, yet oddly enough, it suited him for some reason, donning an apron from the nail on the wall near the pantry and grabbing a spatula.  Sakura and Sarada watched in quiet awe as he expertly whipped the eggs batter in the pan with chopsticks, then took a container of seasoned rice and placed some in the center, then folded the omelette and slid it onto a plate.  After a quiet and awkward fifteen minutes, the omurice was plated alongside a fruit salad with pecans tossed in honey, natto, plained steamed rice, and a plate of sliced tomatoes.  He had done it all with one hand, and fast too.  Sakura gulped, knowing that he would not have done that if he was not angry.

Sasuke sat at the end of the table quietly and crossed his arms, glaring at the two of them.  They looked down, ashamed.

"I-I'll get the tea..."

"Yeah... I will... get some ketchup."

"..."

Sakura and Sarada stood up simultaneously, glancing at each other as they did.  Sakura brought back a tray of green tea and clumsily set it down.  Sarada shuffled to her seat and flicked the bottle open loudly, but paused before she squeezed it.

"...  _A smiley face..."_

"What?"  Sasuke stared at her, questioningly.

"A-A... A smiley face.  You... forgot the draw a...  _smiley... face..."_ Her words trailed off sadly, as if she was remembering something that upset her once.  Sasuke frowned, then rolled onto his knees, then reached out of the bottle.  She passed it and then slid her plate towards him.  Sasuke looked down at the plate and furrowed his brow, then positioned the bottle over the omelette.  He squeezed it harder than he thought, the ketchup hitting the edge of the plate instead and splashing onto the table.  He cursed under his breath, knitted his brows in concentration, and tried his best to draw a face on the egg.  Sakura stifled a laugh and Sasuke shot a glare at her, making her cough.  Sarada also began to giggle, unable to keep serious about the situation.

"It... it isn't funny!"

"I know--  _haha,_ I know!  It must be hard to do with one hand!  Here, let me help you--"

"No.  I'll do it.  She asked me."

"Papa... it's fine!  I only asked because Mo--"  Sarada stopped short and looked down in her lap, her hands tightening.  "Mom always put a smiley face on my eggs..."

Silence filled the air.  Sarada stood up abruptly, turning to flee the room.

"I did not say you were excused, young lady."

"... I need to use the bathroom."

"Sarada..."

"..."

Sakura stood up and shook her head, then strode out of the room.

"M-Mom?"

"Sarada, sit."  Sasuke beckoned to her with his hand to come close to him and sit.  She stared for a bit before awkwardly complying.  Sakura came back into the dining area with two boxes in her arms. She dropped them with a clattering thud before letting herself slide to her knees with her eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed.

"Sarada.  Before you say anything, I just want to get this off my chest."  Sarada looked up at Sakura shyly, expecting to meet an angry gaze.  Instead, she was surprised when she saw her mother with tears glistening in her eyes.

"The other day, you asked me **who** I really am.  To you, to Sasuke... and I'll tell you."  The flaps on the first book opened up and Sakura stuck her hands in, pulling out a large, thick book.  She let it sit heavily on the table, glanced at Sasuke, then Sarada, before sighing and sliding the book to her.

"W-What is this?"

"Open it."  Sasuke said quietly in her ear.  Sarada swallowed loudly and reached out, turning the heavy cover slowly.  The first page caught her by surprise; it had a picture of a blurry black and white x-ray of some sort.

"Believe it or not, that thing right there?  That was you.  This is your ultrasound photo."

"My... what?!"

Sakura smiled and put her hand on the corner of the book and flipped to the next page.  She smiled bigger when she heard Sarada gasp.

"I... I never saw these pictures before!  Was this you?"

Sakura was young in the photo-- she remembered that it was not that long ago that she was pregnant.  Twenty-one, just starting to get her life together for real, then a baby interrupted it all.   _I never regretted it, not once_.  The future Seventh Hokage stood beside her, one hand splayed across her stomach, the other behind his head.  The Hokage's wife was there too, smiling and belly round as well.  The Sixth was there too, looking like a proud parent with his hand on Sakura's shoulder.  She looked a bit embarrassed, the photo did not seem planned.  There were others on the two pages: one of Sakura from the side, doing paperwork in her lab coat with her belly poking out.  Another with Ino putting up a peace sign with her arm around Sakura's neck, pulling her in for a photo.  Sakura had her hand protectively over her stomach in that one and was laughing.  Another ultrasound photo was there as well.  The next few pages chronicled Sakura's pregnancy, and near the end of the book were a few photos of Sasuke before, during, and after the birth.  There was a picture of him apparently singing to Sakura's stomach, another candid of him looking at the baby clothes from the baby shower on the floor of Sarada's bedroom, another of him and Naruto setting up the crib, Kakashi in the back offering little help.  Then a picture of him holding Sarada.  His eyes looked red and bleary, but overjoyed.  Sarada marveled at how small she looked in the photo, cradled in her father's loving embrace.  She teared up, stumbling to find words.

"Why... why didn't you show me these before?!  I-- we... we could have avoid all that fighting, all my running if you showed me this from the start!  Why didn't you, mom?!"

"Because..."  Sakura closed the book with a loud thud, then looked over at Sasuke for silent confirmation.  Sasuke nodded and place his hand over hers on the book to reassure her.  Taking in a deep breath, Sakura then beamed the brightest smile she could muster.

"Because I am your mother!  And sometimes, that means letting you do something stupid or reckless to teach you a lesson.  No matter what, I will always love you.  No amount of photo evidence, birth certificates, or ironed aprons will prove how much I love you, Sarada.  That goes for your father too."  Sakura glanced at him before continuing. "We will have our ups and downs, and we might even get separated... but no matter the distance, always remember that we  _love you_." 

As Sasuke tightened his hold on her hand, Sakura told herself not to cry.  She promised herself she wouldn't do it, that there was no reason to cry once she got it off her chest.  Sarada jumped to her feet and stumbled into her lap clumsily, wrapping her arms around her neck.

Sasuke let go of her so she could reciprocate the hug, then smirked and let out a soft chuckle.

"Idiots... you are definitely both mother and daughter.  You both look exactly the same when you cry."

 

* * *

 

Next Chapter:  _What_

 

 _"What_ are you doing to your hair?!"  Naruto shouted so loudly, so suddenly, that Hinata nearly chopped off another two inches of hair.

There was hair everywhere-- on the counter, on the floor, on Hinata's shoulders, even in the air, still silently floating to the ground.  On top of that, she was naked and wet, fresh out of the shower.

"I-It was an impulse!  I-I-I... just felt like doing it..."

She forgot herself when she spoke.  If she had thought about her words before saying them, then she would have remembered-- no matter what she says, Naruto always knows the truth.  Sometimes, his eyes were better than hers, picking up on every little nuance in a person's facial features and body language.  This was one of those times.

"You're lying.   _What_ happened?"

 

 


	2. What

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sudden haircut spurs some tension in the Uzumaki household.

 

 

" **What**  are you doing to your hair?!"  Naruto shouted so loudly, so suddenly, that Hinata nearly chopped off another two inches of hair.

There was hair everywhere-- on the counter, on the floor, on Hinata's shoulders, even in the air, still silently floating to the ground.  On top of that, she was naked and wet, fresh out of the shower.

"I-It was an impulse!  I-I-I... just felt like doing it..."

She forgot herself when she spoke.  If she had thought about her words before saying them, then she would have remembered: Naruto always knows the truth.  Sometimes, his eyes were better than hers, picking up on every little nuance in a person's facial features and body language.  This was one of those times.

"You're lying.   **What**  happened?"

He said the first part firmly, but softened when asking her the question.  Hinata looked at him sheepishly through the bangs that still remained.

" _I thought it would get your attention..._ "

"Hmmm?!"

Hinata let out a puff of air and let her shoulders drop, ashamed.  "I... I thought it would get your attention!"

A moment of heavy silence followed, then came an outburst of laughter from the blonde.  Hinata frowned, crossing her arms over her bare chest.

"Why are you laughing at me?  I do not think it is that funny."

"But it is!  You thought if you cut your hair, it would get my attention?!  Well, it did!  So **what** now?" Naruto put his hands on his hips and bowed slightly, turning his ear to her to hear what she had to say.  Hinata pouted, blushing.

"... Do you like it... more than Sakura's?"

He stopped smiling and his eyes widened.  He stood up straight now, mouth agape.

"Haah?!"

 

* * *

 

 

Hyuuga Hinata never got jealous.   _Uzumaki_ Hinata, however,  _did_.  

Jealousy, her father taught her coldly, was an emotion to be ashamed of.  To be jealous meant that one was or felt inadequate, and the Hyuuga are never inadequate.  But she was no longer simply a Hyuuga, she was also an Uzumaki, the matron of a fallen household reborn, the wife of a Kage and the most important man in the world, and above anything else, a mother to two lovely children.  She had no want of anything, as whatever she or the children needed, her husband provided.  He had even made it so she would no longer be in active combat, as she mentioned once that other than when she was at his side, she felt happiest taking care of the children and working out in the garden.  Hearing _that_ , Naruto literally _gave_ her a portion of a park in the village to convert into a private garden, though she used it to plant tomatoes, cabbages, and the like, providing fresh vegetables to the public and employing a few groundskeepers and staff to work when she was not there.  While she had few material wants, Naruto bought whatever he could whenever he could, new sweaters, sundresses, a fancy new kimono, jewelry of all sorts, anything he could get his hands on that he thought would look good on her.  She appreciated it, was even embarrassed by the obvious show of affection (she often apologized to Shikamaru, who Naruto often put in charge of ordering and delivering the items to her).

So for her to be jealous?  It did not feel right.

But how could she not be, listening to the village women talk so openly about her husband.  A trio of them were in the garden maze, enjoying a leisurely stroll with a bag of fresh apples, when they stopped and got animated about a topic.  About _her husband_.  How handsome he had gotten since his youth, how they should have never listened to the adults and befriended him, that maybe if they had then they would have caught his eye and married one of them instead of " _that Hyuuga woman_."  She did not make her presence known, still respecting the woman's privacy and dignity above her own, and stayed in the shadow of the garden walls.

"I heard that they only got married for politics!"  

"Eri's right, because I heard that too-- I heard the Lord Hyuuga demanded the Hokage pay a bride-price, the nerve of him!" A woman with her nose in the air huffed.  Hinata's brows furrowed. _The nerve of you, talking like that about my family-- yet they tend to and serve those fruits and vegetables you've been eating!_   "Heard they wanted more land and their men to be among the higher ranking officers in the Konoha Police."

"They're just monopolizing the place!  I guess the only good thing that came out of it was that she's kind of pretty."  One woman let out a haughty sigh.  The other two laughed loudly.  Hinata frowned.

" _Milady, shall I stop the--"_ A woman beside Hinata whispered somewhat angrily.  Hinata shook her head furiously and put a finger to her lips.   _I want to hear... what they have to say about me!_

"Only "kind of pretty," Momomi?  Oh, come on, she's gorgeous!  That long black hair, that perfect figure-- no wonder the Hokage picked her over Lady Sakura!"

Hinata's breath hitched in her throat. _Sakura?_

Sakura was given the title of "Lady," not just because of her marriage to Sasuke Uchiha (who, by all means, was the sole heir to the entire fortune left behind and unclaimed by the great Uchiha clan), but for her action during the wartime period.  She was hailed like a saint for all the healing she did, and even joined the final fight-- a true Bodhisattva and a goddess of war.  The title was out of respect, but she earned it.

"Whatever, Kasumi-- I still think Lady Sakura would have been a better choice!  She kept the Kage in line when they were teammates, and he definitely seemed to fancy her, didn't he?"  But she has nothing behind her name!  The Haruno's were only important during the Warring States period, and they're barely a clan now, just a name and some pink hair every other generation."

"At least they had that in common, right!"  They shared some laughter before walking and talking.  Hinata was deep in thought, hiding around the corner against a wall in the garden.  She had known that Naruto had eyes for Sakura in their youth, yet it never bothered her.  She never saw Sakura as much of a rival, not because she did not think Sakura and Naruto would ever get together (she often fretted over that, wondering if they were together and Hinata missed her chance), but because Sakura was a friend to her.  They barely spoke as children, yet when they did, Sakura was nothing but agreeable and kind-hearted.  She had reminded Hinata of her late mother, a kind woman with soft eyes, yet could be firm when she needed to be, and was strong too.  She shrugged off the suggestion that Sakura would have been a better choice, though.  After everything that happened with Toneri, her lord husband made it clear-- there was nobody he rather spend the rest of his life with, that he had been blind to her advances out of his own childish ignorance, but he now saw her as the woman he loved and cared for, the mother of his children, and the creator of the family he always wanted.  Their marital vows meant nothing against the passion between them-- no amount of words could define the ways and amounts they loved one another.

Hinata had taken a small entourage with her, two guards from the branch family of the Hyuuga clan, Hyori and Hanbei-- Hyori was younger than her by three years but had an authority in her voice that made her seem much more mature, while Hanbei was an older man with children of his own.  As they walked, Hyori stood at her side and gazed at her cautiously.

"Milady, you seem troubled... those women in the gardens, they did not bother you, did they?"

"... Ah, no... not really."

"Milady," Hanbei came on her other side and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "it was naught but the gossip of commoner women!  Forget their petty words."

"That's right, Lady Hinata!  It was all nonsense anyways-- the Hokage only has eyes for you, clearly!"

Hinata agreed yet again, but for some reason her heart still pounded at the thought.  Perhaps it was that "incident" the week before that stopped any reassurances from calming her mind.

 

* * *

  _The Week Before.._

_  
_

Naruto had rushed off to the Tower yet again, busy with his work and forgetting his bento yet again.  Rather than trouble Boruto to track him down, she decided to go herself.  Hyori reassured her that Naruto would find his own lunch for the day and needn't trouble herself rushing to find him, but Hanbei spoke up for her-- "A good wife never lets her husband go hungry, that right?  My wife once had a fit when she realized I hadn't eaten the morning before a mission!  A scary sight, that it was."  She had little issue locating him; she had an ability her children called  "Papa-Sense" that had nothing on her Byakugan!    

 But the location surprised her-- the Konoha Hospital.  Was he hurt?  No, she would know by now.  Ah, attending to business here?  He never really had meetings with the hospital director in person, they always communicated over email or Naruto sent an envoy to speak on his behalf.   _Must be urgent, if he came all the way out here for a meeting._ Hinata went to the front desk and inquired about Naruto's whereabouts, then headed for the fourth floor as she was told by blushing male nurse.  The room number given led her to a "Dr. Haruno's" office.   _Sakura?_ She remembered that Sakura's child welfare division was in need of more funding, it came up over dinner once and another time when she ran into Ino.   _He came here in person for that?_ While the issue was important, of course, it was not imperative enough to get a Kage out of his seat, was it?  She went down the hall and asked a woman at the nurse's station for Sakura's whereabouts.

"Oh, you just missed her!  She went up to the rooftop.  You're probably looking for the Hokage too, right?  He went with her."

For some reason, Hinata found herself walking a little faster than usual.  Her heart was beating faster too.  She dismissed her behavior as being paranoid... but about what?  Why paranoia?

 _Naruto and Sakura, meeting on the rooftop of the hospital-- it's just a meeting to discuss the funding!  A roof is a weird location for a meeting, but it's not a bad place to have one, right?  I'm sure they just stepped out for fresh air, that's all... but they could have gone to the courtyard too... ah, but the staircase to the roof is closer than the path to the courtyard so of cour--_ Hinata was jolted out of her flurry of thoughts as she reached the top of the rooftop access.  The door was slightly ajar so she peeked her head through cautiously.  She gasped when she say a tuft of blonde hair and the sight of a familiar cloak blowing in the wind.  She slid through the doorway quietly, smiling and clucthing the bento to her chest.  Yet as she started to walk forward, her breath hitched and she found herself hiding behind an air conditioning unit.   _This feels... like the old days, when I used to hide and watch him from afar... why am I doing this?  I'm his wife!  I should stand up and--_

"Haha, it's really has been too long, Sakura-chan."

"Mm-hmn!  I missed our silly chats, Naruto-ku... I mean, Hokage-sama."

They paused, then laughed loudly.  Hinata peeked around the corner, staying in the shadow as much as possible.

"Still sounds weird to say-- Uzumaki-dono, Hokage-sama... I'm so used to just calling you by your name..."

"Aah, but it's not as weird as calling you Lady Uchiha!"

Sakura's laughter faded softly and she crossed her arms, looking down.

"I... I don't even know if I should go around calling myself that... it feels strange."

"Yeah... I've been meaning to ask you when you're going to change the nameplate on your office door... still says "Dr. Sakura Haruno," not "Dr. Sakura Uchiha."  You're not... still feeling insecure about it, are you?"

"Let's change the subject, ne?"

Naruto stared at her silently, sighed, then smiled.  Hinata watched from the shadows as her husband raised a hand gently to the woman's face and pulled a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.  She felt the blood rush to her face and ears, hot and red.

"You let your hair grow out again."

"Mmn."

"... Cut it.  You look beautiful with short hair, you know."

Sakura looked at him, red-faced, then brushed his hand away.  Naruto smiled at her tenderly before letting the hand drop to his side.  They both looked off into the distance and Hinata took the moment to flee the scene, yet her childhood clumsiness came back with a vengeance and foiled her escape.  The bento flew from her hands, the contents splattering on the floor.  Concrete rushed to meet her and she yelped loud enough to startle the duo she was running from.  Naruto caught her before her nose hit the ground and flipped her over to face him just as quick.

"H-Hinata?!"

Stuttering and stammering, glancing from her husband's concerned face to Sakura's, all she could whisper was: "Let go of me."

The words came out as quiet as a mouse, but as scathing as a lion whose prey was snatched before its eyes.  She wrestled from his grasp, stood up and dusted herself off, then gestured to the once beautifully-prepared meal inside of the bento she laboured over on the ground.

"I-I came to bring that to you... you left in such a hurry to come  _here_.  Sorry I... I interrupted you two!"

She ran away suddenly, tears in her eyes.  Sakura shouted something out to her, but she shoved past her and ignored her.  She did not even make it two building rooftops away before Naruto caught her in his arms and teleported them to the roof of the Hokage Tower.  A few angry shouts and an awkward, forced hug later, Hinata found herself apologizing and wiping her face off on his cloaked shoulder.

* * *

 

She hadn't forgiven him.  Not completely.  A brief moment of infidelity that they pretended never happened.  Naruto seemed completely unfazed by the events on the rooftop that day and it annoyed her sometimes.  The same night, Naruto came home early with flowers-- a bouquet of tulips-- hugged her from behind, pushed her cropped hair to the side and planted kisses from her forehead down to her neck.  She shrugged him off coldly, but he took it as she was trying to stop the kids, who were entering the room, from seeing a display of affection.  He smiled into the crook of her neck, planted another quick kiss, then turned to play with Himawari.  The dinner was awkward and Boruto boldly asked if something happened between them that the children were unaware of.  Naruto flatly said "No," then returned to gobbling up the plate in front of him.  He even did work at the dinner table that night!  It made Hinata furious, though she kept it to herself.  The worst part was that after they put the kids to sleep, Naruto put the moves on her!  As she closed the door to Himawari's room, Naruto wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and stepped in close to her, grinding his pelvis against her back.  She barely had time to gasp before he put pressure on her to bend over against the door, sliding her dress up and growling softly in her ear.

" _Naruto!"_ Hinata hissed, the color rushing to her cheeks.  He kissed the back of her neck again and smiled into it mischievously before sucking and nipping at the spot, sending a shiver down her spine.  He spun her around and pulled her against himself roughly before going in for a kiss on the lips but was instead greeted by a smack across the face.  The slap reverberated down the hall and soon everything was quiet.  He didn't stop her as she scurried away to the bedroom.  He crawled into bed ten minutes after, but stayed close to the edge, afraid to disturb her.

"... Hinata."

She feigned sleep, eyes locked tight and breathing softly.  She could hear a sadness in his voice.

"Hinata.  I love you... whatever I did... I'm sorry..."

Her eyes shot open.  Whatever _you did?!  Oh, he's taken this "Let's Pretend This Never Happened Thing" too serious!_ Hinata turned over angrily and just stared at him until he turned away awkwardly and apparently fell asleep.  The next morning, they got up and did their morning routine quietly.  Hinata was cheerful with the children and made bentos for them all, as usual.  She made Naruto's plain and simple though, not the usual elaborate bento she'd prepare for him.  White rice with a single pickled plum in the center, leftover fried pork cutlet from the night before on a bed of slightly wilted lettuce and a few poorly place cherry tomatoes, and a rolled egg.  _Revenge is a bento best served cold and sparse!_ He didn't seem to mind.  It made her angry again.

 

* * *

 

Now, a week since that, she thought she had moved on from her anger, from her jealousy.  The feelings reopened like a scabbed that was picked at incessantly.  As she walked with her attendants, she tried not to start crying in front of them, out in public for all her critics to see.  She picked up the pace, wanting to be home as soon as possible, to make dinner for her family and forget her troubled heart for a moment.  In her haste, Hinata rushed around a corner and slammed into the unsuspecting and unfortunate person.  The figure fell backwards to the ground and Hinata gasped, grabbing their outstretched hand too late.

"A-Ah!  Hinata-chan, is that you...?"

"O-Oh..."

Green eyes met violet.  The eyes smiled before she did and Sakura pulled herself up.  Hinata stared at her, stupefied.   _Why do I have to see her right now, like this?!_

"Please be more careful turning corners, Hinata-chan.  You're bound to get hurt, running blindly like that!  Naruto will probably sense your impending doom though, right~? He'd rush in and catch you again."

 _The nerve!_ Hinata nearly shot her a glare before her eyes widened and she took in Sakura's form.   _Short._ The pink tresses swished around above her shoulders as Sakura waved and moved to walk past her.   _She cut her hair short._

She gulped hard.  Hyori and Hanbei bowed at Sakura before turning the corner to find Hinata but to their dismay, she had already disappeared.  Hyori turned and rushed up to catch Sakura, grabbing her arm and turning her around.

"H-Hinata-sama!  Where did she go?!  Did you see her?"

"Wha?  She's right... there?  But I literally just saw her..."

 

 

 

She was grateful that Boruto was out training with Mitsuki and Himawari was with her father that night.  She needed the quiet alone-time to think... and cry.  After choking out a few strangled sobs, Hinata decided to get some sense in herself, slapping her cheeks softly to motivate herself to start cooking.  She started crying again while she poured sesame oil into the frying pan.   _No good!_ A shower.  A nice, hot, steaming-shower should get her back to her normal self, she mused.  She dragged herself up the stairs, down the hall and around the corner to the master bedroom.  She flicked the light on in the bathroom and sighed before stripping down.  Her hands skimmed over her breasts, running delicate fingers over the faint blue veins, then down to her stomach to trace the light stretch marks that ran to her thighs.  Motherhood marked her features, she noticed, even in weird areas.  Her breast had gotten somewhat larger, she had subtles curves now, her feet had stronger blue veins than anywhere else, probably from standing on her feet all day and doing things around the house, and her eyes had a slight tired look to them, no doubt from taking care of her family ardently.  Her beauty, she thought, had suffered somewhat as a result.

" _You look beautiful with short hair, you know..."_

Hinata shook her head violently, hoping the memory would fly from her ears and splatter on the wall somewhere like a bug.  Ah, Shino wouldn't like that metaphor.

Shuddering at the feel of air wafting over her naked body, she was jolted from her thoughts.  Hinata clambered into the shower and cranked the water to the hottest temperature she could withstand.  The burn felt somewhat comforting, like a hot embrace.  A hot embrace after a night of passionate love-making, Hinata thought, cheeks reddening (but not from the heat of the shower).  She remembered the night of their wedding-- both of them nervous and stumbling around in the dark.  Eventually, a few lit candles, soft, encouraging kisses, and a little heavy-petting later, they got into the swing of things.  Naruto was a surprisingly rough lover, grabbing her arms and pulling her towards him when she turned away, clutching her hair and tugging it softly, then harder if she moaned in response, burying his face in her neck and palming a breast or two in his hands as he took her from behind.  As they lay spent, they listened to the birds chirp as the morning began and Hinata heard a rumble deep in his chest as he laughed and swept her up into his arms, hot and sweaty and glowing like hot metal fresh from a flame.  She cranked the water to the coldest possible setting to get herself away from the happy memory she yearned for again.  She nearly screamed when the ice-cold water hit relentless and leapt out of the shower, soaked to the bone.  Turning the knob all the way off, she heaved a heavy sigh before giggling and turning to look in the mirror at her figure again.  This time, her eyes floated to her hair.  The dark tresses spilled over her shoulders and stuck to her chest.  She frowned.

 _Too long._ _He likes short hair... doesn't he?  He said that Sakura looked beautiful with it... she did.  She always looks beautiful...._

_It's long.  Far too long._

_No wonder he's still looking at her, still taking time out of his day to go see her when he can't even remember to take his bento..._

_She's always had his attention._

"What am I thinking...?"

_I'm so stupid._

_Stupid._

_Long._

_Too long._

_Stupid.  You're such an idiot._

_A dumb, long-haired, jealous idiot._

"..."

_..._

_Cut it._

"I... I should cut it."

 

And thus, we've come full circle.

* * *

  _The Current Predicament..._

 

 

"Do you like it more than Sakura's hair?"

Naruto had his face in his palms.

"I-I... I heard you, you know.  On the roof."

"... Ah... so that's what _that_ was."

"What was " _that_ ," huh?"

" _That_.  The slap."

"..."

"You were mad at me for that?"

"Were?  I still am.  And yes, I-I have every right to be mad at you--"

"You haven't stuttered like this since we were kids."

"..."

Naruto looked up from his hands and stared at her.

"You were so afraid back then, insecure and fumbling clumsily for words... but I thought you had changed, y'know?"

He sounded disappointed with her.  Hinata looked away from him, tears forming in her eyes.  He strode up to her, grabbing her face in his hands and turning it to face his own.

"Look at me, Hinata."

"..."

Blue met violet.

"Are you still questioning my love for you?"

"I-I... I'm not..."

"If you aren't... then you wouldn't be mad at me for talking to Sakura--"

"I am  _not_ mad at you for  _talking_ to her!"

"So what are you mad for?!"

"I am angry because...!"

_Because?_

_Because._

They were quiet now.  The tears spilled over his fingers on her cheeks.

"... because... I want you to to look at me only..."

"..."

"... it's stupid, I know... but I overheard these women and they were talking about you and Sakura and how you preferred her and that we married for politics and not for love and--"  Hinata started raving, trying to spit out a better excuse for her emotions.  Naruto kissed her suddenly to cut her off, then pulled his head back and stared at her, eyes half-lidded and laden with a darker emotion deep in the cerulean pools.  Hinata found her mouth getting dry looking at them, so she looked at the floor instead, embarrassed.

"So  _that's_ where Boruto gets it from."

"H-Huh?"

"That jealous streak.  He always wants my attention."

Hinata flushed bright pink.

"Hinata... I'll be honest with you, --ttebayo.  I... I loved... no, I love Sakura."

The color instantly left her face and she grew pale and clammy with trepidation.

"I will always love her.  She's a part of me I can't just forget about... but..."

She closed her eyes tight, not wanting to look at him any longer.  She couldn't bear to hear what he was going to say and look him in the eyes while he did it.

"But I would give up the world for you!" He tilted her head down so he could place his forehead against hers.  "I would give up the title of Hokage if it made you happy."  He backed way and kissed her forehead.

"I would use all of Kurama's chakra-- even my own-- if it meant I could protect you and Boruto and Himawari."  He turned her head and kissed her left cheek.

"I would give up all the ramen in Ichiraku-- no, in the entire world-- if it meant that I could be with you until I get fat and old."  He kissed her right cheek softly, tasting the tears rolling down her face.

"I love you more than anything else, every inch of you, no more and no less."  He kissed her nose, tickling her enough to make it twitch.  He smiled on it, then grazed the tip with his teeth before pressing his forehead flush against hers again.  "And I love you more than Sakura, tenfold... no... a thousand-fold."  Hinata opened her eyes and looked into his shyly.

"You... you would really give up ramen for me?"

"Yes," Naruto replied, serious and deadpan.

"I love you, Uzumaki Hinata.  I love you.  I love you.  I love you..." He pecked her lips softly after every declaration.

After he swept her up in his arms and whisked her off to bed to continue where they left off a week ago, Naruto collapsed on his back panting, placing his hands on Hinata's sides as she straddled his waist.  Between breaths he explained that his visit to the hospital was initially for business, but he and Sakura found themselves reminiscing about the past and decided to go up to the roof where the turning point in their lives had occurred; they were speaking about Sasuke and Sakura's insecurity about their marriage because of his absence.  He stated that she had let her hair grow out long in the past to impress him, because all the other girls said he liked only long hair, but she cut it off to save his life.  He was impressed with her way more after she cut it.  The long hair was a sign of her weak, insecure past, and the fact that she let it grow out again perplexed him, so he encouraged her to cut it again to remind herself of how strong and beautiful she had become.  If, Naruto said, she had listened for a bit longer before running, she would have heard him say, "Sasuke likes you for you, your hair is the last thing he worries about when it comes to loving you, I'm sure."  He only got to the first part before he sensed Hinata behind him.  Naruto laughed as her faced glew red in the dark, stating that she and Sakura have more in common than she thinks.

 

 

The mornings at the Uzumaki residence were back to their usual loud and rambunctiousness.  Himawari yawned softly and crawled into Naruto's lap as he read some reports on his e-reader and Boruto tumbled out of his bed with a loud thump up above.  Hinata placed a tray of steamed rice, a raw egg with soy sauce (to be stirred into the rice to make "gold rice"), miso soup, two rolled eggs, pickled vegetables, and marinated salmon before him, then went and brought Hima a bowl of warm oatmeal with honey, toast with a slab of butter, and a sunny-side up egg.  Boruto clamoured down the steps and slumped into his usual seat, split his chopsticks, then slammed his head flat onto the table.  Hinata laughed and brought him his breakfast and pulled his head off the table, taking a bandaid out of her apron pocket and spreading it on his now-red forehead.  Himawari and Boruto both monotonously chanted "Thank you for the food," before slowly shoveling it into their mouths.  Hinata smiled and poured them tea before getting her own breakfast and sitting down with them to eat.  After a few minutes of quiet chewing, Boruto suddenly stood up and cried out, startling everyone at the table.

"EEEEHHHH?!  OKA-SAN.  WHERE-- WHO-- **WHAT** HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?!"

"Ehhh... ah!  Nii-nii is right!  Mama, your hair is gone!"

Hinata giggled nervously and pulled a stray tress behind her ear.

"Ah, I got a haircut.  Do.. Do you both like it?"

Boruto stared at her, dumbfounded.  Himawari beamed a grin.

"I like it, mama!  Your hair is like mine now!"

"Mmh-hmm!"

"... I... I guess I like it.  It's just weird to see you without it, --ttebasa."  Boruto blushed slightly and scratched his head, trying to look cool and not at all like the Momma's Boy he is.  He failed.  Hinata smiled warmly at him before going back to her tea.  Boruto sighed before glaring at his father.

"Oi!  Have you even been paying attention at all?  Do you even know Mom cut her hair?!"

Naruto glanced up from his reading and looked at her, smiled, then went back to his work.

"OI, OTOU-SAN--"

"Boruto, quiet down!  Jeez..." Naruto muttered, stirring the egg mixture into his rice with his free hand.  Himawari  He glanced back at her mischievously from behind his tablet.  Hinata glanced back, smiling softly from behind the teacup.

"I should know... I helped her cut it."

* * *

 

_Next Chapter: Where_

 

"Papa?  Where did you get this scar?"  Himawari asked curiously, splaying her small hand over the circular scar on his back.  Naruto's eyebrows furrowed, remembering the events of the battle against Pain, how he impaled him and the pain from the rods jutting out of different points on his body.

"Ah, that's just one I got fighting a bad guy!"  Naruto looked over his shoulder at her, beaming a large smile.  Himawari cocked her head to the side before returning the grin.  She went back to studying his scars and applying her mother's ointments to some of the fresher ones.

"Do you fight a lot of bad guys, papa?"

"Hmm... well yeah, I'm the Hokage, it's my job to fight the bad guys, Hima-chan!"

"Really~?  Papa's so cool!"

"Haha, you're impressed with your ol' man, huh? Take a closer look at these guns, Himaaa!"

Naruto spun around and caught her around her waist, tickling her sides before hoisting her in the air and letting them topple backwards.  They laughed loudly, so loud that they didn't hear Boruto walking down the hall.  Hearing the noise, Boruto excitedly made his way to the doorframe but stopped when he heard Himawari pipe up.

"I'm the strongest man alive, Hima-chan!  I'll fight all the bad guys!  If anyone bothers you, tell them you'll get your Papa to fight them, okay?!"

"Okay!"

He lifted her up above his face before dropping her low enough for him to blow raspberries on her belly button.  The giggles were intoxicating, he thought, and never wanted to hear them end.  Unfortunately, Himawari stopped laughing suddenly and patted his arms in a gesture to be let down.  He placed her on his side and propped himself up on his shoulders to look at her.  Her once smiling, cherub-like face had changed into a serious one, eye filled with concern.

"What is it, Himawari-chan?"

"Papa... won't you get more scars fighting all the bad men?  Don't they hurt?  I don't want you to get hurt, papa!"

They were all quiet.  Naruto stared at the ceiling, blinking.  It never occurred to him when that man stabbed him with Sasuke's blade, it never got into his head that he would have gotten hurt-- or possibly die.  It seemed impossible to him, the idea of his own mortality.  Himawari's words reminded him-- he was not as invincible as he seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only tweak the "canon" storyline just a little bit to align with my headcanons!
> 
> I hated Sakura's line in The Last where she dismisses Naruto's feelings for her as "wanting to be like Sasuke" (or something similar to that, honestly-- the line pissed me off so much, I can't even remember her exact words and don't even want to look up the scene to quote it). I like to think that Naruto had deep feelings for and will always love and care for Sakura, but he has obviously fallen head over heels for Hinata by the time the movie is over (God, their relationship developed so well throughout the series and over the course of the movie, I was falling out of my chair and swooning) and would not trade their relationship for the world! I think Sakura just tells herself that Naruto never really loved her in order to put everything in the past, but she's aware that Naruto truly loved her when they were children.

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter is based on the Five Ws, as well as a common theme: family. WHO is about Sakura's struggle to explain how she feels about her marriage. her motherhood, and herself to her daughter. WHAT is about the "real reason" Hinata cut her hair so short. WHERE focuses on a conversation between Himawari and Naruto, with Boruto eavesdropping on the conversation. WHEN deals with Sarada's desire for her father to come home for her birthday, and her ideal picture of a "father." WHY brings us back to the first chapter, covering the conversation between Sakura and Sasuke after he finds her crying.
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! More coming soon.


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